Site created 12/15/97.		review added: 8/21/02 Weird Al Yankovic: The Videos (1984-1996) 1998 - Image Entertainment review by Jeff Kleist of The Digital Bits Program Rating: B+ Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras): C/B/F Specs and Features 74 min, NR, full frame (1.33:1) single-sided, single layered, Amaray keep case packaging, program-themed menus, languages: English (DD 2.0), subtitles: none Weird Al Yankovic is the acknowledged master of the pop parody. From his humble beginnings with Ricky, he showed a unique quirky sense of humor that really connected with people. Matching that with his crazy look, and the fact that he was doing music videos when most artists considered MTV beneath them, really brought Al to the forefront. Today, every album he puts out seems to go platinum and his concert tours can't be beat for either their length or the show itself. All of Al's videos, up to and including his Bad Hair Day album, are included in this collection. From Eat it to Amish Paradise, everything an Al fan could want is here, including a creditless opening to the James Bond parody Spy Hard, and the award winning claymation video for Jurassic Park. Video quality is fairly mediocre, sourced from the laserdisc master done in the mid-90s of older material, much of which is shot on old analog video to begin with. Things really pick up around the Even Worse album with Fat, when Michael Jackson's kind lending of the Bad set to Al really brought production values to new heights. Even so, virtually every video exhibits analog noise in the picture (and probably so do the master tapes). The audio is surprisingly good, without highs being crushed. This isn't the full rich deep sound we get from modern recordings, but it's comparable to what we get on the CDs. No complaints here. As for extras, there aren't any. But you don't really expect or miss them anyway. Weird Al Yankovic: The Videos isn't the prettiest disc out there, but it gets the job done. It's out of print, so it's a little tough to find. But at a street price of under $25 (if you do find it), that works out to about a dollar a video for a disc that covers over a decade of output from one of the most creative video makers working today. It's a ton of fun, great at parties, and is a worthwhile addition to your library. Jeff Kleist jeffkleist@thedigitalbits.com Track Listing: Ricky I Love Rocky Road Eat It I Lost on Jeopardy This is the Life Like a Surgeon One More Minute Dare to be Stupid Living with a Hernia Christmas at Ground Zero Fat Beverly Hillbillies/Money for Nothing UHF Smells Like Nirvana You Don't Love Me Anymore Jurassic Park Bedrock Anthem Headline News Amish Paradise Gump Spy Hard
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